Schizophrenia
by Painted With a Palette
Summary: He woke up in a world where none of his friends remembered him.
1. Far-off Memory

**Chapter 1**

"Sora?"

Her voice brought him back to life.

Partially, at least. He still struggled with an internalized tug-of-war between fragile consciousness and the desire to crash back into slumber. Despite the loud gasp of relief heard nearby, there was a lack of willpower to satisfy his curiosity. "Oh my goodness," they breathed. The voice sounded familiar; feminine, but mature. "Sora, can you hear me?"

He only grunted in response.

"Don't worry, sweetie! I'll go get the doctor. Just sit tight!"

With what felt like mountains of strength and determination, he opened a single eye only to watch the front door shut. It took another quarter of resolve to open the other eye and he found himself staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. Painfully white. His mind was blank. He perched himself onto his elbows and a sharp pain shot near his abdomen and he instinctively placed a hand there. That's when he realized that his waist was bound by sterilized bandages.

He examined his surroundings. The walls were pale, dingy, and besmirched due to laws of aging. Behind the monitor keeping tabs on his heart rate, there was an open window that allowed slivers of sunlight to slip through. The outdoor breeze did well in balancing out that traditional disinfected scent hospitals were notorious for with tropical aura of Destiny Islands. But why was he here again? He reviewed his memories and the last thing he remembered was blacking out. Was the war over? And if so, who prevailed—light or darkness? Was the X-blade forged? Were his friends okay? Were there any casualties? He needed answers.

"You must be exhausted," said a voice. He turned to find a nurse setting a glass of water on his table to the side and she seemed to be chewing some sort of gum. "Where's your mom?"

Sora thought back to the familiar voice from earlier and put two and two together. "Doctor... I think."

"Doctor? You mean she went to go get one? That's supposed to be my job," she added with a pout. After a deep breath, Sora found the strength to sit up while holding his stomach in slight pain. "Take it easy, okay?" She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your wounds might still be a little fresh."

He groaned. "But why am I here?"

"You don't remember?" With a sympathetic gaze, she played with a few strands of his unruly hair. "Poor baby. Well, long story short, you ended up getting hit by a car a couple hours ago. The good news is that you saved some kid's life, but you were completely knocked out. You're lucky there were a lot of people around to call the ambulance."

What?

Was he hit by a car? The last thing he remembered, he was training with Donald and Goofy to recover the strength he lost after his Mark of Mastery exam in order to take on Master Xehanort and his true Organization XIII. Everything after that was just—blank. When did a car crash ever come into the mix?

Reluctantly, Sora decided to shrug it off and roll with it for the time being. He'd question it later. There must have been a logical explanation. "Uh, alright. Are the worlds safe? Is the war over?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Worlds? As in, plural?" She chuckled nervously. "Not too sure what you're talking about."

Sora wasn't surprised. There was a possibility that she wasn't aware of other worlds; few truly were. Donald used to always get on his case about meddling in world affairs during their first adventure. But he wasn't exactly thinking straight.

"Nothing," he reassured. "What about my friends, Riku and Kairi? They probably came to see me."

"Riku and Kairi, huh?" She tapped her chin. "Hm. Far as I know, they haven't stopped by. Your mom has been worried sick, though."

Ouch. That kinda hurt. He figured Riku and Kairi out of anybody would be the first to visit him after being sent to a hospital. Maybe they were just busy. Trying to save the universe for the third time might've clustered the schedule up a bit. Still, he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"What about the King?" he continued. "Or maybe Donald and Goofy. Have they stopped by?"

The nurse ceased chewing and stared at the boy as if he grew nine heads. "Come again?"

"Donald and Goofy," Sora repeated without a trace of sarcasm. "They're really good friends of mine. One of them is short and kinda loud. The other is—"

"I know who they are," she interrupted. She figured he had an odd dream and was still a bit delirious. "Well, Donald and Goofy tend to visit the kids in the children's section. I guess I can set you up an appointment if you'd like?"

Why were Donald and Goofy visiting children at a dire time like this? Especially Donald. Sora recalled him never being the biggest fan of kids in the first place. "Uh, no thanks. I'm sure I'll see them again eventually."

After a brief silence, she decided to let it go and continued chewing her gum. "Sure, kid."

The door creaked open and in came a doctor with a clipboard. He had on a pair of reading glasses and a very rectangular chin that almost made him look like he was stuck in a constant frown.

"Good afternoon, Sora. I'm Dr. Sakamoto. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Doctor, he's rambling a little. Something about being friends with Disney characters," the nurse said. "Do you think we should be cautious or do you think he's just a little delirious?"

"Wait—delirious?" Sora questioned. "What are you talking about?"

"I think you might be correct, Hayden," Dr. Sakamoto said, ignoring Sora. "But this is a typical occurrence with patients who were injured by external forces. It should go away soon."

"Hey, cut that out," Sora demanded. "I'm like, right here. I just wanted to know if you guys have seen Donald and Goofy."

The doctor seemed curious. Most patients weren't so passionate over their hallucinations. Rather, they'd be so incoherent that it would come off more as jibberish. This was a peculiar case. He removed his glasses for more intimate eye contact and pulled up a chair. Sora didn't know what to expect, but it all started to reek of bad news to come. "Sora, I'm not quite sure what to tell you, but I think you're still caught up in some sort of hallucination. You were only out for a couple hours so it's… impossible. Your dream must have just had a much bigger effect on you than usual."

That's when his entire world stopped.

The doctor didn't seem to be joking; his eyes were a mixture of concern and stern sincerity. What could have happened? Did the universe transition through some kind of bizarre makeover and as a sick, twisted joke, his memory went unharmed? Sora remembered everything, from the night when the islands fell to darkness, to closing the door to darkness with Riku and the King on the other side, all the way to defeating Xemnas and getting a letter from Mickey about the journey ahead. The memories weren't transparent or hazy. They were vivid. The sentiment of experience could be recalled.

"Geez, doc," the nurse said, breaking the momentary silence. "Way to break the news to him nice and easy."

"Sometimes, it's best to get straight to the point."

Sora didn't want to believe it. Maybe the doctor had just never met his friends before. That must have been it. He would just have to find them after he got out of the hospital.

"Hayden, do you mind stepping outside and keeping Ms. Hikari company?" Doctor Sakamoto asked. "She's pretty anxious."

She nodded. "Of course."

At her exit, he returned his attention to his patient. "Now, Sora, you may have heard by now that you ended up getting in the way of a car a few hours ago. It's a good thing you didn't undertake any serious injuries. But you saved someone's life, young man. You did good."

"I don't remember," Sora said, holding onto his aching head.

"That's fairly common when it comes to patients hit by vehicles. The good news is that you made it out with only minor injuries and a fractured rib. Since it isn't broken, no surgery is required. Just lay low for a bit and it'll eventually heal by itself. Do you mind telling me the last thing you remember?"

Sora scrunched his forehead, trying his best to recall his recent memory for answers. "I was with Donald and Goofy. We were traveling the worlds and I... I remember we ended up coming across Xehanort. After that, nothing."

The doctor shed an odd glance as he took some notes on his clipboard. "You must still be a bit delirious. I'm sure that'll shake off in no time."

"What? But I—"

The doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Dr. Sakamoto went on to ask Sora a list of questions about his recent habits and how he was feeling in general. Sora answered them to the best of his abilities, despite his throbbing head and shaky recollection.

"Well Sora, I think you're good to go," he said once the mini-interview came to a conclusion. "Just take it easy and maybe stay in bed for a while until you heal up, okay? If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to call."

"Heal up? How long will that take? I can't just sit at home while my friends are all out risking their lives. The worlds are at risk!"

The doctor smiled politely. "That's quite the imagination for someone your age."

"Imagination? Don't you see that I don't know what you're talking about?"

Before the doctor could respond, a quiet knock came from the other side of the door. "Come in."

The nurse poked her head inside. "Doctor Sakamoto, Ms. Hikari is starting to get a little anxious. She really needs to see Sora. You almost done? She's driving me crazy out here."

He chortled. "Yes, everything seems to be in check. He just has a few minor hallucinogenic symptoms that I'm sure is only caused by a heavy dream. It isn't uncommon and it should wear off soon. Send her in and tell her that she just needs to check out at the front desk and they're good to go."

"Roger."

Dr. Sakamoto offered one last reassuring smile. "Go home and get some rest, Sora. You should be fine after a little rest."

Confused, Sora only nodded. "Sure. Thanks, I guess."

The doctor left, leaving him with a multitude of mixed feelings. A draft from the open window swept across his skin, making the hairs on his arms and shoulders erect. The more he thought about it, something didn't feel quite right.

He noticed a familiar woman enter the room, confirming the voice from earlier to be his mother. Despite her eyes being on the verge of an emotional waterfall, she held onto a loving smile. Her dirty blonde hair was a decent length, reaching the middle of her back fashioned as locks. Her eyes were blue and covered very slightly by her bangs. Her outfit was simple but spoke miles for her simple personality. She wore a white tank top overlapped by a sleeveless, purple bolero jacket that was buttoned up at the top, and a velvet skirt that reached her knees with a floral design trailing down the right side. Her feet garnered light blue sandals and there was a white bracelet of beads around her ankle.

"You're awake," she squealed, not wasting a second to snatch him into her hold and stuff his head into her chest. She allowed the tears of happiness to come as they pleased. "Oh, my poor baby, you had me so worried! Do you need me to get you anything? You must be so hungry after all that napping!"

He tried prying her off him but his protests were muffled.

"Oh, sorry!" He rubbed his head after she released him. There was a bandage over his right temple. "I'm just so glad you're okay. Losing my son would have definitely been a formula for the worst day ever."

She placed a hand to his cheek affectionately.

"But it takes a lot of courage to push someone out of the way of an oncoming vehicle. I'm so proud of you!"

It had only been a little while since he last saw his mom. The last time, he had to say goodbye since the king sent that letter requiring his assistance.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"A little woozy..."

"Let's get out of here, then. I hate hospitals. I want you in bed as soon as we get back home, do you hear?"

He rolled his eyes. "Sure thing."

* * *

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Sora stared out the window of his mother's car as his mother drove down the streets of Destiny Island. Everything looked the same as he remembered it. The houses were generally white and with gardens of green separated by fences.

But Sora couldn't be at ease. It looked the same, but something felt different.

"I appreciate the fact that you risked your life to save someone else's, but please try to keep the borderline suicidal heroic act to a minimum, okay? Oh, the doctor said something about a slight case of amnesia. He also said something about you being a little delirious, too. Apparently, it's normal though and only lasts for, at most, a week or two. Rough dream, huh?"

He pursed his lips. "Say, Mom, do you have any idea if Riku or Kairi came by to check up on me? Did you see them at all while I was in the hospital?"

"Riku? Kairi?" She pondered for a moment. "Who's that, sweetie?"

He stared at her wide-eyed for a moment before falling back into a frown. "Stop joking around, Mom. Riku and Kairi. You know, my best friends."

"Best friends?" she asked. "Well, this is the first time I've ever heard of them. Why don't you invite them over for dinner some time?"

His jaw dropped. "But... they have come over for dinner. Like, a bunch of times! Riku's been my best friend since I was just a kid. How can you not remember that?"

She glanced his way but quickly returned her attention to the road. "I would certainly remember a friend of yours, Sora. It's not like you seem to have that many in the first place, anyway. Are you sure you didn't make him up? Maybe you're still a bit confused and only dreamt him up."

To say that Sora was baffled would be the understatement of the century. She had to be joking. His mom could be a bit of a troll when she wanted to be, but this seemed a bit cruel. "You're kidding, right? This really isn't the best time to be joking around, Mom."

She cast him a quick glare. She was not a fan of being accused. "I could say the same for you."

Sora froze. She was dead serious. The idea behind the existence of a Riku was some sort of foreign concept to her. "What about Kairi? You have to remember her. She's the mayor's daughter!"

She blinked, her eyebrows weighed down in a mixture of concern and suspicion. "Sweetie, I've never met the mayor's daughter before and as far as I know, neither have you. You don't seem to socialize with... well, anybody really."

"W-Wha... what? I don't?"

Mom shook her head and concluded that Sora must have just been delusional like Sakamoto said. "You tend to not go outside that much, so I don't recall you bringing many friends home. You're kind of a shut-in and it worries me sometimes, but you always seem happy enough so I never pry you about it much." She pouted. "But since we're on the subject now, I do wish you would go out a little more, Sora."

"Mom, I just got back from an adventure not that long ago. What do you mean go out a little more?!"

"Goodness, you must have had one heck of a dream. It's been so long since I've seen you get so worked up over something."

He hysterically held his head. He searched his mind for some sort of clue as to what was going on but he found nothing. "No way. No freaking way is this possible..."

And then—he couldn't think at all. His thoughts no longer followed a path of logic and reasoning. They were only scrambled by irrationality and denial. He sat there, confused, distraught, and broken—with a blank look on his face. What sort of crisis could've befallen humanity that the memories of his two best friends would be erased? At that moment, the impact of brutal truth hit him like a prisoner in the path of a freight train. This was definitely not the same Destiny Islands where he grew up.

He gulped, looking towards his mother with eyes equally perplexed as hers. They both thought the other was insane or that there had to be some kind of faulty wiring in the other's recollection. The only difference between them was—

Sora suddenly felt alone in the world.

"You're probably tired, Sora. Maybe after you get some rest, you'll be back to normal."

"A-Actually, Mom, I think I'm gonna take a stroll around town." He had to see if there was anything else different that he wasn't aware of. He didn't know what was going on, but maybe if he could find Riku and Kairi, assuming they were even here... wherever "here" was, it could clear things up.

"Oh, no you are not! You're obviously not fully well just yet, so you need to rest. Besides, the school year will be coming up soon. This is the best time for you to start catching back up on your sleep. You know your insomnia is the worst during the summer."

Well, if he knew his mom, he knew that she wouldn't let up so easily. "But something isn't right, Mom. You have to let me take a look around town. I'll be fine and back before seven. I promise."

"Oh, sure, you'll be fine. Next thing I know I'll be getting a call from the doctor's saying you ended up breaking a butt cheek or something. Goodness Sora, if only you weren't so darn clumsy."

"But—"

"No buts! When we get home, I want you in bed. Maybe once you wake up you'll stop prattling on about fictional characters. I'll bring you up something to eat."

Maybe sleep wasn't such a bad idea. There was a possibility that he may have woken up and everything would be back to normal. "Not hungry."

"You should still eat something. As your mother, I demand you fill your belly before taking a nap! Am I clear?"

Despite his stress, Sora couldn't help but chuckle. On the bright side of all this insanity, at least his mom was the same as ever. "Sure thing, Mom."

* * *

They pulled into a small garage of a modest home. Good. His house looked the same as he remembered it. Sora got out of the car and held his throbbing head as he made his way inside the living room.

Upon hearing footsteps, a young girl no older than six whipped her head around. She glowed with excitement at the sight of Sora. "Big brother! You're not dead! I think that's supposed to be a good thing!"

Sora took a step back. He didn't recognize her. She leapt up from her spot in front of the television and hurried over to him with the biggest smile, hugging him by the legs.

Mom beamed at the sight as she entered the room. "Aww, Yoru, you missed your big brother, huh?"

She nodded. "Uh huh!" She then paused for a moment, making a look of what seemed to be deep contemplation for someone of her young age. "Wait, does this mean I can't play in big brother's room anymore?"

"I'm afraid not, sweetie."

She let go of him immediately with disgust. "Oh, couldn't you have stayed sick a little longer, big brother?"

Sora was speechless. He didn't have a little sister. Did he?

Turning around, he looked at his mother. "Who is this?" he asked quietly.

She frowned. "Don't tell me you forgot about your little sister, Yoru, did you? After your father and I separated, I met my current ex-boyfriend and we had a child together. You can't forget that, can you?"

"Wait, you and Dad separated?!"

His mother's face was etched with worry. "You're scaring me, Sora."

Breaking him out of his trance, Yoru kicked him in the shin.

"Agh! What was that for?"

"For forgetting about your little sister. You're the worst big brother ever, big brother!" She puffed and crossed her arms. "Mickey is a better brother than you!"

Sora paused. "Wait, Mickey?" He shook his little sister by the shoulders. "You know Mickey?!"

"Big brother, stop!" She was terrified. Sora never acted like that around her.

Mom pulled Sora back. "Stop it, Sora! What's gotten into you?"

"Mickey, I need to find him!" Sora yelled. "He might be able to tell me what's going on!"

Yoru rubbed her arm. "W-Well, um…" She hurried behind the couch, which was set up in front of the TV, and showed Sora her Mickey doll by holding it up high for him to see clearly.

"Mickey!" Sora yelled. He ran up to her and found that she had dolls of many familiar faces. Along with Mickey, there was Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and even that Daisy girl that he met at Disney Castle.

Sora dropped to his knees. His body was beginning to feel hot as he took the Donald and Goofy dolls in his hands.

"All my friends…" He held them protectively, hugging them as if they were alive. He sent a harsh glare at Yoru. "What have you done to them?!"

"I… asked Mommy to buy them for me?" Yoru replied curiously. She looked over at the screen next to them; her favorite TV show was starting. "Oh, it's my favorite show!"

Sora directed a glance at the TV.

On the screen, in a colorful environment, Mickey walked up to the camera with a bright smile. He had on red shorts with two white buttons, white gloves, and big yellow shoes.

"He-hey, everybody! It's me, Mickey Mouse! Say, do ya wanna come inside my clubhouse?" He put a hand to one of his large ears as if he was waiting for a response.

"Yes, Mickey!" Yoru shouted.

"Well, _all_ right! Let's go!"

Yoru giggled. "I dunno why he always asks me that. My answer is always the same!"

Sora hadn't heard her. He was too busy gaping at the sight before him as if it were an omen sent from the heavens. "Mickey!" Sora dropped the dolls; he even stepped on one of them, as he ran up to the TV. He shook it violently as Mickey rambled on about making some sort of magic words to make a clubhouse appear. "Mickey, can you hear me? Speak to me! Tell me what's going on!"

Yoru tried to pull Sora away. "Big brother, stop it! Mickey doesn't like to play rough like that!"

Mom sped towards the scene and clutched Sora by the shoulder, hauling him away from the TV. Without warning, she delivered a hard slap to the cheek.

Sora was shocked; his mother usually never resorted to anything like that. She always had a peaceful soul. Though, he could admit that it did knock some sense back into him.

He touched his cheek, and as the stinging sizzled, he couldn't help but notice the tears in his mother's angry and disappointed eyes.

"Stop it! Stop it this instant! Don't you realize you're scaring your little sister?!"

Sora averted his gaze, watching the little girl whimper, holding onto her Mickey Mouse doll as if he'd protect her from her fanatical older brother. The lingering guilt inside him began to make its presence felt.

"I don't know what got into you after that car crash, but you need to go upstairs this instance and get some rest! I don't want to see my little boy acting like a delusional psychopath!"

In that moment, he realized what had become of him. The pain on his mother's expression spoke lectures of his foolish behavior, to the point where even he started to question it. "I-I'm… I'm sorry…"

He looked at the TV. The intro of the show was still playing.

"Roll call! Donald!"

"Present!"

"Daisy!"

"Here!"

"Goofy!"

"A-Hyuk, here!"

"Pluto!"

"Woof, woof!"

"Minnie!"

"Ooh, here!"

"Mickey!"

"Right here!"

" _It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse~! Come inside, it's fun inside~! M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E~!"_

Sora almost felt like crying. What on earth was going on?

With his head hung low, he made his way upstairs. The eyes of his mother and sister never left him. As he left, he could hear Yoru's voice fading away.

"Mommy, has big brother gone crazy?"

It was the most legitimate question he heard all day.

At least, the house was the same as he remembered it. It would make navigating easier.

It didn't take long for him to find his old room, and with a sigh, he entered.

It was the same as it always was. There was a bed next to the window, where he would always gaze at the stars. His clothes decorated the blue carpet, and he found his eyes trailing upwards to an old toy of his hanging from the ceiling. It was a ship with a boy and girl on board, as if they were on a grand adventure across the sea.

" _I just can't wait, once we set sail. It'll be great."_

Sora slipped out of his clothes, leaving him in only a white tee and some shorts. He got into bed and pulled the covers over his shoulder, looking out into the sunset.

Perhaps, it was all just a dream. Maybe he really did make it up.

He reached his hand out and shut his eyes. He thought about the King, Donald, Goofy, all of those adventures that he thought he had. Was it all just a hallucination? He thought of the Keyblade and all of the great power he possessed using it. He was the key that connected everything, right?

Or maybe not, because when he opened his eyes, there was no Keyblade to behold in his possession. He clutched his hand tight into a fist.

As the tears began to well up, he laughed humorlessly. It was a laugh born of hopelessness, confusion, and sorrow. Of course it was all a dream. It was just a dumb fantasy to help him escape his dull, ordinary reality.

The Key that connected everything, journeying across countless words in a Gummi Ship while trying to dispel the havoc of darkness and bring about balance… it was nothing but something he fabricated. How could he become so heavily involved with his self-constructed lore that he forgot who he really was?

But it felt so real.

Sora tightened his hold on his sheets while curling up his legs.

"Riku, Kairi… tell me, what's happening to me?"

He closed his eyes.

* * *

Okay, I have no business putting out another story, I'll be the first to admit it XD, but why the hell not? The inspiration I got for this idea was crazy, so this is just kind of an experiment to see how interested people might be to see where this one goes.

I don't know why I'm so nervous about putting this one out here, but I don't think I've put so much care and effort into one chapter before ever, so I'm kind of anxious. But don't be afraid to be honest in any reviews and tell me what you honestly think! I could use the feedback! No pulling any punches!

I got the idea for this after reading a chapter out of **SoraxKairi7's Oneshot Collection** which you should totally check out, and I just got this burst of inspiration to see what I could do with this idea! It's sorta different from what I'm used to so I'd be really thankful if some of you bananas could let me know what you think in honest detail! Reviews are always a healthy motivator, so if you could be so kind, that would great.

And I know it's not in the categories but there will be some romance in this for all you couple shippers! ;) I never make a story without some form of romance.

Big thanks to **SoraxKairi7** and **Clogallie** for helping me out with this one with their feedback and advice! Check out **Winter Sunsets** and **Wavering Hearts!**

 **#bananasquad**


	2. Seaside Academy

**Chapter 2**

"Tell me, Sora, how have you been lately?" asked the therapist, Doctor Gallagher.

They sat across from each other in the living room. Wrapped up in his blankets, Sora rocked back and forth in a chair. Mom sat on the sofa next to Dr. Gallagher, tapping her foot with haste, her fists gently clenched above the hems of her skirt. It was supposed to be a private session, but she refused to leave the room.

But he didn't mind. Dr. Gallagher considered himself to be a reasonable man. He pushed up his reading glasses over his thin, brown eyes, crossing a leg over the other.

As Sora sat there almost like a lifeless manikin; his mind and soul were worlds apart. His eyelids felt heavy as he looked up at the ceiling. He scanned every nook and cranny of the living room, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Dr. Gallagher.

"Well," Sora croaked. He gulped to moisten his throat. "It's been kind of hard to sleep."

Dr. Gallagher tapped his chin with his pen. "Really? How long has this been going on?"

"About a week."

"So, ever since you got out of the hospital?"

"That's the thing. I don't remember anything that happened _before_ the hospital. Just these memories that, I guess, are from another life. But they're so clear. It seriously feels like I've lived through them."

The doctor shared a glance with Mom before he wrote the information down. "I see, interesting… and what kind of memories are these? Describe one for me."

"I remember one day, there was this small islet that me and all these other kids would go to play. It was separate from this island, the main island. One day, there was this giant black hole in the sky. I thought it was a storm, so I rushed off to the islet to check on the raft my friends and I were building."

Dr. Gallagher nodded. "Mm hmm, yes."

"The next thing I knew, the island was gone and I was in this new world. I met these guys, Donald and Goofy—they said they'd help me find my friends."

Mom could only palm her forehead in frustration and slight embarrassment.

"Donald and Goofy?" he asked, with a hint of amusement. "Okay… and just who are these friends you speak of?"

Sora paused before answering. For a moment, he visualized their faces smiling at him, before falling out of the impression of what might have only been a dream. "Riku and Kairi."

"Riku… Kairi…" The doctor got a little more comfortable and put his clipboard aside. "So, what's been going on?"

"Nothing, really." Despite that vague claim, the doctor could hear the connotation of misery thick under his tone. "I've just been really attached to my room."

"Doing what?"

"Thinking," Sora answered almost immediately. "What else can I do? Everything I thought I knew wasn't even real in the first place."

"He won't eat anything, he won't drink, he barely even speaks," Mom interjected. "He only comes out of his room to use the bathroom. He just takes a nap for a solid two to three hours, wakes up, contemplates life or something, and falls right back to sleep."

Sora scoffed. "I lost my appetite."

"I have to _beg_ this boy to come down and eat dinner with his sister and me, but he won't budge! A couple days ago he just hogged the TV the entire time and just watched a bunch of Disney movies like some lethargic statue."

Dr. Gallagher gestured her to calm down. "Let's hear what Sora has to say, ma'am. Do you mind if I ask for a refill of water?"

She threw up her hands. "Again?! That's the fourth glass of water in the past half hour!"

Dr. Gallagher pinched the bridge of his nose. He wished she could take a hint. "Ms. Hikari, I'm trying to work here. Do you mind?"

With a groan, she snatched the empty glass from the table. "I shall return," she said before making her way back into the kitchen.

Dr. Gallagher relaxed his tense shoulders. "That should buy us a little bit of time. Tell me more about your recent endeavors, Sora."

He zoned out, but the sound of his name brought him back to reality. "Not much to say. It's exactly how it sounds. While everyone else has been outside enjoying the last few days of summer vacation, I've been in my room—just trying to accept the fact that I haven't heard from Riku or Kairi ever since I got out of the hospital… or just accepting the fact that there may not have been a Riku or Kairi in the first place."

"You haven't gone outside to at least see if you could find them?"

"I wanted to, but Mom won't let me out of the house until I stop fantasizing about 'fictional' characters and go back to 'normal'. And all I see on TV is these weird commercials about my friends from those other worlds I talked about, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. It was some ice skating show and I was seriously tempted to buy a ticket to see if my friends were really there." He sighed. "But it was obvious they were just actors in costumes."

"I see."

"And I was watching these movies… it was creepy to see how similar some of the movies were to what I experienced when visiting those same worlds. It's crazy, Doc!"

The doctor stroked his chin, allowing Sora to speak without interruption.

"The only thing keeping me a little sane is this house. It's the only thing that looks the same as I remember."

"What did I miss?" Mom asked as she set the glass of water down and hurried back to her spot on the sofa.

"Oh, your son was just informing me some very interesting details."

"So, do you know what this might be?"

"No clue." Mom dropped her shoulders in disappointment. He stood from the couch and gestured her over by the front door. Once they were out of Sora's earshot, he whispered, "Though, the only thing that seems to add up is that he might have been hit with Schizophrenia."

"Schizophrenia? Oh, come now, doctor. That seems a bit far-fetched," Mom said.

"True, but it could be plausible," the doctored argued. "Young Sora here is only sixteen, soon to be seventeen. Schizophrenia usually occurs between his age through thirty and more often than not, it's males who suffer from it."

"Schizophrenia," Mom uttered in disbelief. "What should we do?"

The doctor thought for a second, looking into Sora's eyes. They were blank, but told many stories, expressed many emotions, and had experience. His sorrow, pain, confusion, anger—it was all in the glint of a blank stare.

"Contact me in two weeks and update me on his situation. I want to see if going to school will cure any of these potential symptoms. If he's still experiencing them, I want to have another appointment to see if we can clear some of this up. Alone," he added, with a narrowed look towards Mom.

But as always, it flew over her head. "Yes, of course, doctor. Thank you for coming in. We appreciate it."

After Dr. Gallagher gathered the few items he had and left, Mom asked Sora if he was hungry. As she expected, the boy refused food and thumped up into his room.

With a resounding lock of his door, he stayed in there for hours.

He stared at his ceiling with an inert gaze for who knew how long. Turning to his side, he looked out into the cold night, whispering to himself.

"I can't just stay here… I have to do something about this…"

He clutched his blankets.

* * *

A week passed, and soon it would be the first day of school at Seaside Academy. Sora was beginning to come out of this tiring cycle. He'd lie down in his bed, sleep all day, stare at the ceiling, and then go right back to sleep. Repetition could be a fickle adversary to conquer and it made him realize just how sick he was of sitting around doing nothing.

He made attempts to cheer himself up. He tried playing with his little sister, Yoru. He played along with all of her weird games where she'd make up the rules along the way. Her imagination was admirable.

Sora definitely wasn't fully recovered. He still had his bouts of depression, wallowing in silence at the dinner table, losing himself in space, but he tried cracking a smile every now and then. The most his family could get out of him was a faint chuckle. Mom noticed this. She was pleased to see he was at least trying.

Sora didn't want to bring his family down with his own inconveniences. He tried to stay strong, but it was easier said than done.

It was the day before the first day of school, Mom sat on the couch as Sora paced back and forth.

"You gotta to let me have a dorm room, Mom!"

Propping her elbow on the arm rest, she placed a fist under her chin. "I don't know, Sora…"

"Come on," he whined.

"Sora, I'm sorry but, I don't think you're ready to leave the house yet," she said. "I'm still a bit concerned about your little fantasies about some past life where you wielded a Keyboard to fight monsters with multiple Disney characters. I don't know, I think I have a pretty good reason to be skeptical."

"First of all," Sora said with a sharp finger pointed upwards, "it's called the _Keyblade_ , and I used to fight the Heartless. We've been over this." Catching a glimpse of her distasteful gaze as she crossed her arms, he chuckled nervously. "I mean, uh…"

"You're really not helping your case."

He put his hands up. "Okay, okay, hear me out. I've been stuck in this house for the past two weeks, barely getting any fresh air, cooped up in my dark room doing absolutely nothing. You think that would be better than going out and making some friends? Come on, Mom, this should be parenting 101." He crossed his own arms.

Mom sighed. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive. Staying in my room won't help me."

Mom tapped the side table with her perfectly manicured fingernails. She locked him in a rigid stare, squinting as if trying to find a proper answer. Sora cowered slightly under her somewhat menacing eyes.

"So…" he spoke. "I'm assuming a mysterious glare mixed with deafening silence equals a yes?" He shot both thumbs up with a forced smile.

She sighed. "Well, I guess you can't get better if you stay isolated… you've been really good with Yoru lately, too. I'm just not sure…"

"Pleaaaaaasssee?" Sora asked with puppy dog eyes, clasping his hands together.

"Ugh, I know I'm going to regret this, but… okay. You can go."

Sora cracked a small smile triumphantly. "See? This is why you're the best mom ever. I'll start packing right away!"

Sora was about to take a step but froze when his mom said, "Hold it."

His shoulders sagged in defeat. "There's a catch, huh? Why am I not surprised? You parents and your, 'trying to make my life harder than it has to be' ways."

"Hey, I'm your mother. It's in my job description." She winked as she rose from her seat. "Let's go upstairs."

She led him to the second floor and told him to wait in his room. Within moments, she entered his room with a smart tablet in hand, extending it to her son with a face full of hazy distress.

"What's this?" he asked, awkwardly holding it by the sides, staring at his own reflection.

"It's a tablet." She pressed a button, making a bright screen appear. "If you want to have a dorm, fine, but you have to promise that you'll video chat me every night, or I will be very upset with you. Until I feel confident that you're back to normal and not fantasizing about crazy hallucinations, I expect a call from you every night. Capeesh?"

Sora cracked a crooked smile. "Oh, Mom…"

Mom hugged her own arms and tried to stop the tears. "I just get worried about you sometimes, Sora."

"I know… and I know I haven't been the best son lately. You know, being all weird and emo. But I can't just stay here in a box until I'm eighteen. I just feel like this is the only way I can get better."

Mom nodded. "I understand." She gestured for a hug, which Sora gladly complied. "Just promise me you'll be safe. And please don't try to force any of your new friends to watch Disney movies with you, please?"

He chuckled. "I promise."

She backed up with a solemn expression. "I'm serious. You're going on a Disney diet."

He rolled his eyes.

* * *

Mom pulled up to the Seaside Academy. "Ooh, fancy."

The school had a detailed design. Being one of the most prestigious schools in Destiny Islands, the large building (or tower, she thought) had a mysterious brash ambience. It stood tall and proud with two large pillars on each side, painted in a pale white. The second, third, and fourth floor had walls made completely out of glass. Mom could see a few stragglers walking about in the hallways.

The campus was broad. Many students already roamed about. A big field was left open as a concrete path led to a large and lavish water fountain.

"Wow. It's beautiful, isn't it, Sora?" It took a moment before she realized he wasn't responding. "Sora?"

He was daydreaming again.

"Sora!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?" He looked over at Seaside Academy and flinched. "Whoa! Mom, when'd you learn how to teleport?"

"You didn't hear a word I said throughout that _entire_ car ride, did you?" Sora only gave her a blank, slightly embarrassed stare.

"Don't be ridiculous, I heard everything you said. Something about… tampons?"

Mom dropped her head. "We're doomed."

"Don't sweat it, Mom. Just you wait, once I get used to all the glamour, I'll be good as new."

That was what she was afraid of. "New stuff is overrated. I want my old lovable Sora back."

"Oh, so I'm not lovable now?"

"You know I didn't mean it like that."

Sora sighed. "Mom, I'll contact you tonight."

"You better. Or I promise I'll come pluck you right back into your bedroom where I can keep an eye on you."

Sora did his best to force a smile. "No worries! It's in the bag."

"I'll hold you to that. If you need anything, call me."

"Will do."

"Make sure you keep up with your hygiene. I want the girls to actually _want_ to be around you."

He rolled his eyes. "I got you."

"Watch your step! Don't be a goofball and zone out in the middle of the hallways and bump into people."

"No problem."

"And if you _do_ happen to find a nice girl, make sure she's on birth control. I am _so_ not ready to be a grandparent." She handed him a box of condoms. "Don't forget to use these."

He hesitated to take them. Was this some sort of trick? "U-Um, sure?"

"Aha! So you _were_ planning on sleeping around!"

"Mom, please..."

She sighed. "Okay." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before he got out of the car, getting his luggage out from the trunk.

He waved her bye, both of them wearing sad smiles.

"I'm serious, though. Use those condoms. I'm not going to be a grandmother when Yoru is still five. Ain't nobody got time for that."

And yet another moment she ruined. "You can leave now."

She winked. "You'll thank me later." The car roared before she sped off into the distance, leaving a trail of exhaust behind.

Sora felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He could finally take off the mask. It was tough pretending to be somewhat content around her. The truth was, he was still miserable. But he needed time away from that house. He needed to find out what was out there. Seaside Academy seemed to be the perfect fit.

Sora walked onto campus dragging his rolling bag along behind him. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. He passed through people as if they weren't even there. Maybe he wasn't fully there.

The further he went down this long path, the more crowded it became. Sora didn't recognize anyone. They were all nameless, but each one seemed so carefree and full of life. He felt like a nuisance.

Sora sat down by the fountain and overheard a conversation of some nearby students.

"Can you guys believe this school? I almost mistook this place for a university. It's so huge!" said a guy with scraggly blue hair.

"That's what she said." Another one of them chuckled.

The girl of their group scoffed. "Do you really have to be _that_ guy, Chad?" She flipped her hair. "What I'm really looking forward to is the beach."

"The beach?"

"Don't you guys know why it's called Seaside Academy?" The guys shook their heads. "It's literally right by the shore. There's a beach back there and we're allowed to roam out there freely on weekends!"

"Attention, students," said the intercom. It was loud enough to spread throughout the whole school all the way out into the courtyard. "Attention, all students, you may now proceed to the auditorium, located in the main lobby. Please enter in an organized fashion."

Sora made his way towards the door but ended up getting bumped by many of careless and uncoordinated students along the way. He was jostled one too many times by a passing flash and ended up tripping over himself.

"Ugh…" he groaned, rubbing his head.

"Whoa, sorry about that, man!"

"I-It's fine." Sora opened his eyes and nearly fainted. A boy about his age, tall and lanky, looked down at him with a confident grin. He had unruly red locks shooting from his scalp and emerald eyes with teardrop tattoos underneath them. He held out his hand. "Haven't seen your face around here before. You new around here?"

Sora couldn't believe his own eyes. He was speechless. "Wha… what? I… gerblahshma?" was all he could say. He couldn't even formulate a proper sentence.

"Hey, that's what I said when I accidentally set my ex-girlfriend's garage on fire! Don't ask." He helped Sora up and patted the dust off Sora's clothes. The boy wore a black leather jacket with a fire stripes around the arms, a red sweater, and black slacks.

"Y-You… your name is… Axel…?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Axel? Who's that? It's a good guess, I guess, but my name is actually Lea. Got it memorized? What's your name, Spiky? Actually, don't answer that. I don't care what your name is, because I'm going to now call you Spiky regardless."

Sora was at a loss for words.

Whether his name was Axel or Lea, it was definitely the same guy he knew from before. "You don't know who I am?"

Lea crossed his arms. "You get hit on the head? I've never seen you a day before today, kid."

Sora sighed but he couldn't help but smile faintly. Overwhelmed by the sensation of finally seeing a familiar face, Sora collapsed and fell back on his bottom.

"Whoa! You alright, man? Look, this falling shtick is going to get really old, really fast."

Sora could only laugh. His eyes became misty. At last, some form of familiarity. Even if it wasn't the Axel he remembered, it was still Axel.

"Um… I don't if I should be scared… or scared…" Lea said underneath his breath. Sora picked himself back up, ending his laughter.

"I'm sorry, it's just… I'm not myself today. I'm Sora."

"Sora, huh? Isn't that a girl's name?" He smirked with humor at Sora's blush.

"W-What? It is not!"

"Relax, kiddo! I was only messing with ya. You're the new kid, gotta break you in, if you know what I mean?"

"W-W-Well, I—"

"Shh shh shh," Lea interrupted, placing a finger on Sora's lips dramatically. "Shut up. Save your breath." He snaked an arm around Sora. "You're lucky I bumped into you, Sora! I'm gonna show you, my socially awkward chum, how to survive in this crazy, chaotic institute we like to call a school, Seaside Academy. Don't let the glam and glitz distract ya, it's still a regular high school. Kind of."

Sora pondered for a moment, lifting his luggage as they got through the front door.

"It can't be that bad, can it?"

Lea jeered. "Listen, what was your name again? Laura? I've been around the block a few times. I've seen some crazy stuff, man. I've been strapped to a roulette wheel in nothing but my boxers and for some reason a chastity belt with strippers throwing darts at my head and one time I got so drunk at a party that I woke the next day—literally—in a brand new Bugatti…"

Sora waited for Lea to continue but he just kept quiet as the two walked in unison. "And…?" he prodded.

"And what? I just wanted to brag about how awesome I am." He winked.

The two entered the auditorium. It was massive, filled to the brim with students. A podium stood on the stage, along with a few staff members waiting for everyone to be seated.

Sora and Lea sat in the middle, but Lea left a seat open to his left. He looked all over the crowd to spot. "Now, where is he…?"

"Who?" Sora asked.

"Just my best buddy, Ro—"

"Alright, students. Please settle down. Let's keep this orientation concise," said one of the staff members.

Upon closer inspection, Sora recognized some of the faces on the stage.

A woman with long brunette hair tied into a bun was the one who had just spoken. Her smile didn't distract from her white blouse with puffy arm sleeves and black pencil skirt. "It's so wonderful to see so many new faces. As some of you may know, those who were here last year, I'm the high school counselor slash secretary, Aerith Gainsborough. I'm so glad to be back this year!"

Sora's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. She looked no different from how he remembered her, yet she still had this maturity to her. "Aerith?!"

"Yeah, I know how you feel, man. I'd totally bone her too," Lea commented offhand.

Ignoring Lea, Sora looked all over the crowd to see if he could spot any familiar faces. If Aerith and Lea were there, surely there must have been someone else he knew. Right?

"Unfortunately, our Vice Principal was not able to make it in today, so I was tasked with this job. It is my pleasure to be able to address you all for the beginning of the school year. Seaside Academy is known for its mature and well-mannered students who behave accordingly to the rules of concert etiquette, not only in a casual environment, but a professional one like this as well."

"You're so hot, Ms. Gainsborough!" yelled a random audience member.

Aerith chuckled nervously as she straightened her blouse. "How sweet… anyway, I look forward to a great year and I'm sure you all will do splendidly. Just taking a quick look at our curriculum…"

Sora kept his eyes watchful of every member of the crowd, searching desperate for anyone with red or silver hair. It wasn't easy, considering that many students sported a variety of hair colors, from tangerine orange to sky blue.

"Check out those _calves_ ," Lea said. "Hey, don't tell anyone but, smooth calves are freaking hot."

"Um… alright."

"Now, without further ado," Aerith said, "please give a warm welcome to your principal, Ansem the Wise!"

That name rung familiar; Sora watched as a round of applause erupted for Ansem as he walked, almost majestically towards the podium with a humble yet cunning grin. He wore a large white robe with two red flaps overlapping his shoulders. He nodded respectfully as the students all calmed down.

Sora didn't know how he felt about this—seeing all these new faces was a tad overwhelming. Was this what he really wanted? He moped the past few weeks about not being able to see the people he cared about, but now that he was there, it spooked him. It was hard to believe it was actually happening. Even sitting next to Lea left him uneasy.

"You're gonna love Principal Ansem," Lea said. "He's chill and his goatee is legendary."

Sora wasn't even listening. He spotted a boy with silver hair only a few rows ahead.

Could it really be…

"Riku?" Sora whispered to himself.

Sora gripped the arm rests on his seat. His palms nearly slipped, growing more slippery with each passing second. His heart thumped rapidly and he couldn't stop it.

Lea noticed how freaked out Sora looked. "Hey, you alright, man?"

"It is a very humbling experience, standing before you all for the third time. I take great pride in what I do, and I assure you that I have every single person in the audience's best interest at heart. It is why I've decided that for the rest of this week, each of you will be called down into my office. Don't be alarmed, nobody will be in trouble, unless you decide you want to cause trouble during the first week. I think it is best that we chat—go over any concerns you may have and plan your future out together. But know this… no answer comes forth without a question. Question yourself… try to figure out what it is that you really want. It would make our job as staff much easier."

Ansem sent a smile to Aerith before returning his attention back to the students.

"Alright, I think we've said quite enough. I like to keep these little gatherings brief. I look forward to working with all of you. Please wait in the lobby to be assigned to your dorm rooms."

After a round of applause, a crowded cluster of students tried squeezing back out into the lobby. Sora kept his eye on the silver-headed boy as he laughed casually with a friend.

Sora began to get desperate, hurrying to reach him before it was too late and he lost him. He had no choice but to shove a few people out of his way to reach the door.

"Hey, watch it!" a lot of them said.

Sora didn't care, nor did he even hear them. He finally made it into the lobby and spotted the boy in a short distance. He jogged up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Riku!" he cried. "Riku, is that you?"

The boy turned around and quickly recoiled. He looked a lot like Riku but there was a subtle difference. For one, he noticed those bright green eyes of his. Riku always had aquamarine orbs.

"You… you're not… Riku, are you?"

"Never heard of him," the boy replied. His voice confirmed that it couldn't possibly have been Riku. "Name's Kadaj." He eyed him up and down as if he were some sort of parasite. "You can let go of the sleeve now."

Sora quickly did as told, rubbing the back of his head with a trembling smile. "S-Sorry about that. I thought you were someone I knew."

Kadaj raised an eyebrow. "Right… keep your hands to yourself. Just some, eh… friendly advice." He offered a fake and sarcastic smile.

"Uh, y-yeah, right."

"Yo, Kadaj!" Another boy walked up to them, immediately looking offended by the mere sight of Sora. He wore a black beanie, a blue crop top vest, and a floor length white jacket. "This guy giving you any trouble, man?"

"No, Seifer, no need to take this out of proportion. He simply mistook me for someone else. Isn't that right?"

Sora nodded quickly with a gulp. "That's right."

Seifer kept a glaring eye on him. "There had better not be a problem?"

Kadaj rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go. You're always looking for a fight."

Seifer faked Sora out; pretending that he was gonna hit him, making him flinch. Seifer chuckled. "You're right, Kadaj. It's only a chicken wuss." He got in Sora's face with brash smirk before turning around to press on with his buddy, Kadaj.

Sora shrunk his shoulders. When did he become such a wimp?

He almost gave up trying to find any of his closer friends; until he saw a redhead across the room casually conversing with a friend. Sora didn't want to jump to conclusions. There were many girls with hair in some of the most unorthodox colors.

That was, until she turned around and saw her pretty face… her big blue eyes and her heart-shaped face—her physical trademarks.

In that moment, he knew.

He could hardly contain his excitement. With a crack of a smile, he whispered to himself:

"Kairi…?"

* * *

Sorry for the lengthy update! It was a lot harder writing this chapter out than I thought it would, but I put a ton of effort into it so I hope it came out okay!

Big thanks and shoutout to **Sinful Serenata** for helping me out with this one! She really helped me out a bunch and gave me a lot of ideas for the direction I might go for this fic. Also, if you want, we made a collaboration fic called **Out of Sight** on her profile if anybody wanted to check it out. We'd really appreciate it!

So, what did you guys think of this chapter? Please, leave a review! Even if you hated it or thought it could be better, found it boring, bland, whatever! I would really like to know so that I can improve, and a lack of reviews can be a downer. Even one sentence of encouragement, I would really appreciate it :)

Also, I want to start getting to know my readers more and start getting to know you guys more as friends. So, in a review if you'd like, you can tell me who your favorite Kingdom Hearts character and why you like that guy/girl so much!

Have a wonderful day and thank you to anyone who read all the way through!

 **#bananasquad**


	3. Bashful

**Chapter 3**

Was it all a dream?

Her face called back to pleasant memories. Her grace, her laughter, her lively spirit, the smell of sea salt air, waves crashing against the shore, a burning sun—it came back to him in the form of her tortuous smile.

She stood as a true model for carefree jubilance. She laughed with another familiar face as they made their way out onto campus, books tight to their chest and bags perched over their shoulders.

Sora went blank. His jaw was ajar, his mind was a bare canvas, and his eyes comatose of consciousness.

"Man, something tells me you're gonna be a handful." Lea shook his head as he reached Sora's side. He followed his line of sight to spot Kairi in the short distance. "Ahh, I see. Already got your sights set on the big leagues, huh? That's cute."

Lea gave him an obnoxious nudge in the side—a gesture which hardly went noticed—and crossed his arms with an expression of approval.

"Kairi Uchida—one of Seaside's premiere babes of the second-year class. She's hot, but trust me, take her aesthetic appeal away and she's just your typical teenage girl. But hey, you seem like a typical teenage guy so maybe you two were made for each other."

Lea's input went in one ear and out the other. Sora was in a universe where logic was swallowed by impulse. He struggled to believe his eyes and allow reality to settle into his equilibrium. This was an opportunity he couldn't allow slip by.

He dropped his bag and dove through the sea of strangers. His unintentional rudeness dripped unapologetically as he shoved a few unnamed onlookers to the side.

"Whoa, dude! I was joking!" Lea cried. He scratched the back of his head. "This guy..."

It seemed that the closer Sora got, the more she seemed further away. His heart skipped so many beats, one might believe it to be a remix for a traditional healthy heartbeat; he was afraid he might have had to go to the hospital.

For a moment in his brief window, Kairi stood in a dazzling spotlight. He felt like he ran in place, his arm outstretched for his best friend in a desperate reach. Was he hallucinating?

No time for rational thinking. He just had to act.

"K-Kairi!" he yelled out, in a sputtering mess of incoherence.

Wide-eyed, Kairi turned around only to be ambushed into a very sudden and unexpected squeeze from this unidentified brunet, who nearly stumbled over his feet as he trapped her into his passionately awkward embrace. She looked over to her friend, but from the look of her eyes, it seemed they shared a mutual perplexity.

"Kairi, it's me..." Sora spoke softly. He didn't want to let go. At last, he found someone he could rely on to keep him sane. Someone who could help him get through this crazy, bizarre place their world became overnight. Someone who might understand.

Sora closed his eyes and tried to fight back the tears that glossed up his vision, but he allowed one to slip. The emotions were too much for his heart to handle. He didn't want to repress them any longer.

Kairi, on the other hand, had an entirely different story to tell. Who was this creep and why was he hugging her like she was his long lost sister? Her body hardened into stone and she wasn't sure if hugging him back was appropriate or not. Was this some distant family member or a friend she forgot about? She didn't want to hurt his feelings by outright rejecting his affection.

"Kairi, it's me! I... I finally found you!"

There was no response. His impulsive emotions began to waver as his rationale settled; he finally returned to reality and his awareness was restored. Only then did he realize that she wasn't hugging back.

Why wasn't she hugging him back?

Even Lea, who watched from a short distance, could feel the uncomfortable tension weigh down the atmosphere and winced. "Ouch."

Sora looked around and saw that his thoughtless behavior formed a small crowd. Their eyes feasted on him with confusion; new gossip and rumors already emerged from their whispers, born from their uninformed third-party judgement.

Sora sighed, hesitating, fearful of pulling back—but he released her only to witness his fears come alive in her confused, befuddled, embarrassed, and slightly panicked expression.

Kairi rubbed her arm. "I... I-I, uh..."

"Kairi, I—my name is Sora. We used to play together on the islands when we were kids." Her face was blank. He gulped, internally debating whether he should ask the question he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to. "Do you recognize me?"

If someone told him a year ago that one day he'd stand before one of his best friend, only to realize she had become a stranger without an ounce of memory left to put the pieces together... he would have laughed.

"I-I'm sorry, but I... I don't..."

And yet here he was—lost, confused, without much to make sense of this whacky reality. Sora dropped his head. Her answer was inevitable, but to hear it come alive audibly made his heart crack into a million pieces.

After the many days of confusion and denial, it finally hit him—he really was alone.

He was alone in this world.

"Oh... okay."

A sharp whiplash from a sparkly blue purse—

"AGH!"

Pitch black.

Fortunately, it was brief, but his head ached of a fresh throbbing as he woke from his dizzying stupor.

"That's a lot of nerve, wise guy!" yelled a voice. She was so familiar. He could never forget that brown hair styled into one large curl in the back of her head and two on the sides—the friend she was laughing with earlier. "Who do you think you are? That is abso-divel-lutely _no_ way to treat a lady! It's Gentlemen 101: keep your filthy hands to yourself unless given consent!"

Kairi grabbed her arm and gently yanked her back before she did anything to make things worse—a custom the spontaneous girl was prone to. "Selphie, knock it off!" she whispered loudly. "You're not helping!"

"Hold on a sec, girl. I got this." As usual, Selphie wasn't listening. She never listened when her judgement was clouded by rage. "Now look, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but—"

Sora finally recognized her. "You're Selphie! That's who you are!"

Selphie paused for a moment with a blended look of disgust, shock, and confusion. "H... How do you know my name?!" She didn't ponder over it too long. "Listen buster, I don't know who in the heck you think you are, but you better get lost before I shove these expensive high heels so far up your—"

"Selphie, please!"

It took some prodding, but Kairi eventually got Selphie to calm down. The brunette gave Sora one last dirty look before Kairi dragged her away.

The redhead looked back at Sora one last time, searching through her memories to desperately find a moment in time where she might have encountered this stranger, but to no avail. With a somewhat regretful sigh, she pressed onward with Selphie as the crowd dispersed.

Rumors were already roaming fast. Sora sat there, watching as Kairi and Selphie faded into the distance. A part of him wanted to run after them, but his better judgment held him back. Rather, he soaked in his own misery.

Nearly everyone cleared the field to allow the gossip to commence, aside from Lea, whose shadow loomed over Sora's figure and blocked out the sun.

He looked at him with a sympathetic grin as he held out a hand. "Hypothetically speaking, if I just fart right now, do you think that might make this less awkward?"

Sora's smile was glum, but he appreciated that Lea would at least attempt to lighten the mood, but it was no use. He felt like death. Sora took his hand and Lea lifted him back up to his feet.

"Hey man, I'm sorry." Lea rubbed the back of his head. "Tell ya what, I know a place. We should cheer you up!" He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, it'll be fun! My treat."

What did he say?

Lea snapped his fingers in front of his eyes. "Hellooooo!" Sora blinked. "Ugh. _Rude."_

"Sorry... I was just contemplating the meaning of my existence..."

"You're a lot more emo than I expected you to be, aren't you?"

Somehow, that actually woke Sora up from his trance. "W-What?"

"Alright, buck-o." Lea hauled Sora up over his shoulders. "Turn that frown upside down, mister! We're gonna go find your smile!"

"H-Hey, what are you—"

"We're off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of froyo!"

* * *

He wasn't kidding. Lea literally carried Sora all the way to a frozen yogurt place, shamelessly ignoring both his protests and the embarrassing glances cast their way from the townsfolk. This Lea sure did have balls of steel.

They sat at a white round table, shaded from the sun by an umbrella placed directly in the middle. Sora stared at his frozen yogurt with his mind lost in outer space.

Meanwhile, Lea was busy scarfing down his third round. "Eat up, man! I didn't just waste fifty munny on that thing for nothing!"

"Sorry..."

With an impressive belch, Lea leaned back in his seat and rested his left elbow on the arm rest. "You remind me of my best pal when I first met him—all quiet and mysterious. I guess I just got a thing for strays."

Sora clutched his fists under the table. "So, you're telling me you don't remember anything about... you know?"

Lea raised an eyebrow. "About what? You're gonna have to be more specific."

"C-Come on, you know!" Sora planted his hands on the table. "I'm getting desperate here. There's no way you can't remember any of it. You were a Nobody!"

Lea frowned. "Well, that's not very nice."

"N-No, I-I mean..." Sora grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You have to remember. Come on! The Heartless?"

"Come again?"

"Organization XIII?"

"I don't follow."

"Ugh!" Sora slouched on the table and buried his head into the fold of his arms. "It's hopeless..."

Maybe it really was all a dream. He wished he could plead further denial, but whatever world he lived in currently felt too real to call it a giant hallucination. What was going on?

"Are you gonna be okay, man?" Lea looked at him sympathetically, even if he didn't have a clue what was going on. "I know being a transfer must be rough, but sheesh. Don't you think you might be going a little overkill?" He eyed Sora's untouched froyo with a barbaric gleam. "You gonna eat that?"

Sora couldn't fathom the situation. How could he? Was this supposed to be some kind of test? He was completely oblivious to an entire set of memories deeply engrained in Sora's heart. Where was Naminé when you needed her?

Wait a second, Naminé... that was it!

After Sora returned to the Islands after his second perilous journey, he started spending a lot more quality time with Kairi. He finally mustered up the courage to thank Naminé for whatever it was she did, and he felt their hearts connect. It was like he could telepathically communicate with her, and she explained everything that happened in Castle Oblivion.

If he recalled correctly, Naminé had the power to manipulate Sora's memories and those who had ties to him. Could that be what was happening?

That must be it!

But why would she leave him untouched? All of his memories were intact, weren't that? She must've had the answers.

"Naminé!" Sora shot up from his position. "Do you know a girl named Naminé?!"

Startled by his sudden outburst, Lea leaned back in his chair defensively. "Whoa! Uh, you mean the art major chick? Yeah, she was in class 2-2 last year. A cute little thing, but not my type. She's more of the quiet type."

That sounded like Naminé. "But she goes to our school, right?!"

"That's what I just said..."

"Where can I find her?"

Lea gave him a pained expression. "No offense, man, but after what I just saw, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable giving you the locations of all of the cute girls at our school—I'm kinda afraid you'll tackle them and allege that you're some kind of long lost third cousin from their uncle's one-night stands in Paris or something."

"Axel, you have to tell me! Please, I-I know Naminé, I just want to talk to her. I think she might know what's going on here."

"Did you just call me Axel?" Lea grimaced. "I told you, my name is Lea. Got it memorized?" He sighed. "Fine, just please... don't hurt anybody with your craziness. Matter of fact, I'll go with you just in case."

"Just... just tell me..."

"Well, she's usually hanging out in the art room, but—"

Sora made a dash towards the school without a second thought.

"Dude!" Lea whined. "Wait! Didn't I say I was going to go with you! What about the froyo? Oh, you so owe me fifty munny!" He groaned. "What am I getting myself into?"

* * *

He busted the door open.

"Naminé!" he cried.

It only took him five minutes to rush back to the school campus, but it was an eventful five minutes of bustling through crowds and narrowly dodging his incessant tendency to bump into strangers with a quick apology afterwards. He had to be a little stealthy heading back inside, since he was pretty sure he probably wasn't supposed to have left campus in the first place.

It only took slightly longer to breathlessly ask nearby students where the art room was. As expected, he received curious expressions, but they told him—if only to get him to leave them alone.

In a panic, he finally found the art room and thoughtlessly thrusted the door open to find a petite blonde girl sitting in front of a colorful canvas with a paint brush in her hand. Sure enough, she garbed the female Seaside Academy uniform—a black blazer, a red tie, and a red skirt.

Her eyes twinkled innocently and curiously.

"N-Naminé..." Sora choked. "It's really you..."

Before she could make a move, two hands grasped her shoulders firmly. He lost all composure and shook her with his trembling fingers.

"Naminé! Naminé, it's me! You have to help me! Did you mess with my memories again?! What's going on?! Can you fix this?!"

He needed answers. He was nearing his breaking point and his desperation took unhealthy leaps in response to his mental state. So much so that he failed to notice her panicked position, as she silently sobbed and panicked.

Wait a second—she hadn't acknowledged him yet.

Why wasn't she acknowledging him?

Why hadn't she said his name?

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no!

"Do you recognize me?! Naminé, please say you know who I am! Please tell me you know my name!"

Naminé kept her head turned to the side, her eyes shut tight, and her pursed lips quivering.

What was he doing? If someone walked in right then and there, it could easily be taken the wrong way out of context. He was totally spiraling out of control. This was harassment. She was clearly troubled.

He needed to gain some self-control. This was getting him nowhere.

Sora slowly released Naminé and recoiled as he stared at his hands, disgusted at what he had become. He became so reckless that he forgot common courtesy in his pursuit for truth.

Understandably, it was much to take in and even harder to accept. He still didn't have a clue about who he was, where his memories came from, or what was going on.

He looked at Naminé. She had been eyeing him with a frightful gaze, but she quickly turned to the side once their eyes met. She kept her arms close to her chest and casted fretful, and slightly fearful glances in his direction through her peripheral.

She became the physical embodiment of fear—all because of his impulsive behavior.

He let his hands rest at his sides and allowed his head to droop with shame.

An awkward silence swept the air—at least it did for Naminé, Sora was off in another world again—before he grew aware of his impoliteness again.

"O-Oh, sorry..." he said. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Naminé shook her head quickly.

"T-That's good." Sora hesitated. "You, uh... you wouldn't happen to recognize me, would you?"

She remained quiet for a while, until she gave a meek shake of her head. Sora rubbed his chin curiously. Could she speak?

He was overcome with disappoint upon reflection. Lea, Kairi, _and_ Naminé failed to recognize him. He seriously had no one. It was rock-bottom.

Sora examined the room. He thought of one word to describe it: white. Seriously, every inch of it was white, including the table in the middle and any other furniture, aside from the sketches scattered across the walls, and in the middle of it all, a dainty blonde with light, rosy red cheeks.

She struggled to look him in the eye. This Naminé seemed a bit more bashful than the Naminé he remembered—not that his Naminé was particularly outspoken either—but the way she cowered before him was unsettling, to say the least.

Of course, his carelessness may have contributed to that. He made a gesture to hopefully make her relax, but if he moved an inch, she'd whimper and shiver slightly.

He really messed up this time. Kairi at least had Selphie to protect her from his stupidity, but Naminé was all alone. For all she knew, Sora could have been some creep attempting to do something far, far worse than what he genuinely intended.

How could he be such an idiot? But he just needed some answers. Didn't he deserve that much? Was that so hard?

Sora silently grieved, gritting his teeth as he dropped his head and hunched over with both hands on the table. Poor Naminé remained befuddled as she flung her eyes in numerous directions.

Sora snapped out of it and sent her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I'm being really impolite, I just..." He shook his head and tried his best to muster up a smile, even if it wasn't his strongest effort. "I-I'm Sora." He rubbed the back of his head. "Even though you probably don't care too much at this point..." He chuckled nervously. "I haven't been the best at making, uh, first impressions lately."

Naminé didn't spare him a glance; she was too nervous. She lightly grazed her foot and held her arm modestly.

"Can you talk?"

That only made her lips quiver even further. Perhaps she couldn't? Either that or this Naminé really was a lot different from the one he knew from his memories.

Yeah, this definitely wasn't the Naminé he knew.

"Forgive me," Sora continued. "It's just—maybe it was just a dream, but... I had this idea that I knew you from somewhere. I guess I might've just been a little bit mixed up." He sighed, leaning back into the table just to gain a breather. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head as she took a seat. She still looked rather nervous.

"I don't know whether these memories are real or fake, but... they're real to me, you know? They're the only things I have right now. Man, they felt so... I dunno, maybe I was just kidding myself. It kind of sucks, waking up in a world where nothing is the same as it was before. But, I'm gonna try to figure out what's going on, I'm sure of it." He offered a smile. "So, just bear with me, okay?"

The mute Naminé's lips quivered. She only nodded.

"Your name is Naminé, isn't it?"

She took a moment, but she nodded, still too nervous to look him in the eyes. She just kept her eyes trained on her thighs.

Her name really was Naminé. It couldn't just be a coincidence. Something had to be going on here. Whether his memories were just a childish fantasy or not, something was missing.

Either way, he didn't have enough to think about it at the moment.

"Mind if I check it out?" He decided to walk around to take a look at her painting. It was a beautiful portrait of a dove trapped inside of a bird cage. The detail was immaculate.

"Whoa, this is awesome!" Sora complimented.

Naminé shot her head up in an instant, whimpering through her shaky breaths.

"Did you do this?" he asked, somewhat rhetorically.

She nodded.

"You've got some talent!" he chuckled. "The Naminé from my memories was okay, but nothing too impressive. This could seriously be put on display at a museum."

Naminé blushed. He couldn't tell if it was a good or bad sign.

"Sorry, I won't bother you anymore if you don't want—"

She shook her head furiously.

Sora chuckled. "Oh, well, okay then. I guess I could keep you company." It wasn't like he had much better to do. "You can talk, you know. I won't hurt you. Assuming you can?"

She didn't answer.

"I guess no?" Sora took his position at the table again, leaning back. "You're a mystery, Naminé."

She couldn't stop her blush from intensifying. But she didn't want him to leave. This was an opportunity for her to grow out of her shyness and she wasn't gonna miss out on it.

"Man..." Sora said. "It's crazy how much you really do look like her."

She tilted her head curiously.

"Oh, uh—the _other_ Naminé, I guess. The one from my memories I told you about. You remind me of her. She had a very gentle spirit—very kind. Very peaceful. Just like you." He smiled. "I guess that's why I confused you for her. Sorry about that, again. I know I keep saying it, but..."

She shook her head, as if telling him not to apologize.

He chuckled. "Right." He examined her. "What are you so nervous about?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, never mind. I guess me barging in here and grabbing you by the shoulders is enough to make anyone nervous. But... something tells me you're like this on the regular basis."

She stared at him wide-eyed.

"Bullseye?" He chuckled sadly, his eyes fixed on his feet. "To be honest with you, I know what it feels like to be lonely... and afraid." He had been suffering from it for the past week. "Ever since I woke up and faced reality, it's like I can't relate to the world anymore. So, just know that you're not alone, you know?"

She eyed him sympathetically.

He didn't want to put too much of a damper on the mood, he was trying to get her to trust him and cheer her up. He brightened up. "Well, don't worry! You want to overcome your fear of socializing, right? I'm sure you'll grow out of it." He gave her an optimistic smile. It was the first time he had genuinely smiled in a while. "Until then, mind if I keep you company?"

With flushed cheeks, Naminé shook her head slightly, giving a small smile of her own.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"Hey, there's a smile!" He grinned. "I knew you could do it."

Naminé stiffened. Was she really smiling?

"Relax," he laughed. "You're fine, okay?"

She took a deep breath and nodded once more, trying her hardest to put on a more composed disposition.

To both of their surprise, the sudden open of the door brought them both out of the moment. Naminé especially was shocked. More visitors? Last time she checked, she was the most invisible girl at the school.

In the door frame, stood Lea with a half-empty cup of frozen yogurt. "There you are!" He tossed the cup in a nearby trash can.

"Axel."

"I told you my name is, ugh... whatever." He hurried over to Sora and trapped him in a headlock. He sent Naminé an apologetic look. "Sorry, was he bothering you?"

She shook her head frantically.

"Really? He's a little, you know... well, if this jackass ever does cause you any trouble, I got your back. You can call me the _pest_ control," he emphasized to let Sora know how much trouble he was causing. "We'll be out of your way now."

Lea dragged Sora along, ignoring his muffled protests. Naminé, surprisingly, felt a stroke of disappointment. It was nice; for the first time in forever she actually had someone else around, even if she didn't contribute much to the conversation. She didn't really want him to go—what if he never came back? Most likely, since she was such a snore to talk to.

She reached out, opening her mouth to object Lea's decision, but nothing came out. It was too late.

Lea shut the door behind him and she was alone again. She huffed at her bangs in defeat.

Meanwhile, outside in the hallway, Lea shoved Sora off of him. "Man, what is _with_ you? You trying to screw every broad on the planet already?" Lea crossed his arms and almost looked contemplative. "And I thought _I_ was savage..."

Sora shook his head. "It's not like that."

"Sure thing, Mr. Player." He patted him on the back as he handed him Sora's bag and a sheet of paper.

"What is this?" he asked, referring to the paper.

"Well, I'm just so outrageously awesome that I picked up the sheet for your dorm number. Unfortunately, we're not roomies, which I wish we were just so that I could keep an eye on you. I want you to hurry up and get to your room before you cause more trouble and break more hearts, so hurry home, playboy."

Sora smiled. "Yeah. Thanks... Axel."

Lea sighed. "Dude... really?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Lea shook his head. "Forget it." He reassured Sora with a grasp on the shoulder before heading off to his own dorm room. "I'll be right down the hall if you need me. And you _will_ need me." Lea stopped. "Oh, and Sora."

He paused.

"Get some rest, will ya?" With that, he made his way.

Sora sighed. Maybe he was right. He was a bit tired.

He turned his attention to the sheet of paper. It looked like his room wasn't too far from there. He followed the room numbers down the hall.

He noticed every now and then some of his peers would whisper to each other while staring his way. Rumors of his breakdown in front of Kairi earlier was travelling really fast. Hopefully, he wouldn't turn into some kind of infamous oddity with a big "avoid" sign on written his forehead.

Of course, his mind was all over the place. He was still fixated on this mystery. Lea, Naminé, and Kairi all didn't recognize or remember him, yet he clearly remembered them and even their names. He harbored memories of their times together, but they didn't have a single recollection.

Something was going on, and Sora was going to find out what it was.

It wasn't long before he found his room. He wasn't too concerned about whatever beheld him from behind the plain door. Worst case scenario, it was someone who witnessed his earlier antics.

He opened up the door. It was a simple, but stylish room with a window straight ahead, separating the two beds on each wall.

Someone was hunched over the left bed. It looked as if they were trying to pick something up on the other side.

"Uh, hey!" Sora piped. "Looks like we'll be roommates. I'm Sora."

The boy stood from his position and offered Sora his trademark, borderline cocky grin.

Sora dropped his bag and his jaw dropped.

It was a face Sora could never forget in a million centuries—long silver hair flowed past his shoulders, olive eyes, and he sported the male uniform—a white shirt overlapped by a stylish unzipped black jacket and black slacks.

"Oh, hey," he said. "You're the new second-year, right? It's nice to meet you. Name's Riku—Riku Miyano."

Well, that was convenient.

* * *

 **Is anyone else starting to ship Sora and Namine more? XD**

 **Sooo, it's been about nine months since I last updated this T.T I hope you guys haven't lost interest in this one, but I wouldn't really blame you if you did. I know long hiatus' can be a big turn off.**

 **How is Sora going to react to Riku? Is he going to get on his knees and cry?**

 **Speaking of that, I just want to quickly defend Sora for that near the end of KH2! Yes, he held Riku's hand and fell down on his knees and cried when he finally found him, but come on guys, he went through a LOT to find Riku! He at least rescued Kairi in the first game and didn't find out she was kidnapped until not long before, but Riku could have been DEAD for all he knew! That's why he got so emotional.**

 **Okay, I feel like I wanted to say more but I'm just too tired atm. Haha. Please leave some reviews, they really are huge motivators to keep writing because it lets me know whether or not you guys like the direction of the story and where it's going! And even if you don't, let me know down in a review!**

 **Thank you! :)**

 **#bananasquad**


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